The Apocalypse Bug
by Bard of Prey
Summary: The Gua are prepared to release a genetically engineered super virus to wipe out mankind. Cade and Eddie, with the help of a new ally, must discover the true origin of the disease and the only known cure in order to save the world.
1. Life Must End Before It Can Begin

The Apocalypse Bug  
By Bethany Swingle  


  
Part One--Life Must End Before It Can Begin  
  
Her eyes focused on the page, but her mind did not understand the words. Her thoughts had drifted elsewhere. Since this day began she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. What it was she didn't know.   
Things had been happening. At first, they'd seemed small and unimportant. But, now, she didn't know. You learn quickly at the CDC about observation. The Centers for Disease Control favored extremely well kept records. So, when the chimpanzee had appeared with no paperwork accompanying the transfer, she'd been worried. Although she worked on Biosafety Level Four with horrific diseases like Ebola and Marburg, she'd never grown accustomed to the test animals. The Chimp attracted her attention the moment she entered the lab. Only an hour before he'd been fine. But, now, he seemed to have come down with a truly terrifying pathogen.  
How could his entire medical condition change in one hour? She pondered the question and decided that she simply had to find an answer.  
Now, she was staring at the file by his cage. "Subject 11." She frowned as she spoke. She knew that meant there should be 10 more sick animals. But where were they? And, what were they trying to do? She recognized something as she scanned the page. "My God!" She uttered fearfully as she gazed at the writing. "They're gene-splicing." The world's most frightening disease. It was a genetic hybrid. A virus, part Ebola, part Bubonic plague. "What are they doing to you?" She whispered to the chimp. "Don't they know biochemical warfare is illegal? I have to find out who's doing this."  
She walked over to the intercom and spoke into it using the sweet, innocent voice she knew he could not resist. "Hi, Frank, Listen, can you do me a favor?"  
"Anything for you, Darling!"   
"Frank."  
"Sorry, kiddo, what do you need?"  
"Well, I'm working in the lab, and I came across something funny."  
"Yeah?"  
"Well, there's a chimp in here, and he died. I need to know the doctor in charge of him. He'll want to know the chimp's condition."  
"Oh, wow! That is important. Well, let me see. Look's like your beau, Doctor Ted Johnson."  
"Thanks! I'll call him right away."  
She turned off the intercom and stared at it for a moment. She tried to hold back the strangled cry that was trying to emerge from her throat. "I don't believe, I won't. It can't be him. It can't be." She hurried through the chemical bath and out of her regulation space-suit like uniform to her office. She collapsed onto the chair and cried. Finally, after the sadness had been spent, she knew what she had to do. She turned on her computer and started. In minutes, she was in files she'd never seen before. It took her a moment to hack into them, but now she was reading things she could hardly believe!   
"What are you doing?"   
"Ted! What are you doing here?" She jumped and tried to hide her fear. She stood up and at the same time pressed a key erasing what was on her screen and sending the urgent email she had just completed to an old friend.  
"Frank called me, he said you were asking questions. You should know better than to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Kelly."  
"I was just playing a trick on him, that's all. You know how he's always coming on to me. I was..."  
"You were asking questions. You know what curiosity did to the cat."  
"Ted, are you drunk? Do you know what you're doing? You're threatening me, and that isn't like you. I love you, you know that. I would never snoop about any of your projects. And even if I did, it would only be to learn from you. You're the best geneticist in the US." Kelly tried to convince him. She knew if he found out, she'd be as good as dead. She didn't notice the form come up behind her. But she did feel the slam as something hit her skull, then she blacked out.  
  
  
Cade sighed. It was another slow spell, none of the quatrains fit with anything. Eddie had been over every one of them a hundred times. And nothing. That was more frightening than any of the Gua experiments could ever be. Suddenly he heard a shout from inside the trailer. Cade hurried in. "What is it Eddie? Did you find something?"  
"I can't believe it."  
"What?"  
"I haven't heard from her in years, and all the sudden she's writing to me." Eddie paused as he read the rest of the email. "Shit! Foster, we've got to get to Atlanta, and now!"  
"Why?"  
"A friend of mine. She's a doctor at the CDC. I haven't talked to her since her internship ended. I met her when she was interning at a hospital in Maryland. She was a really nice girl, but she was kinda strange."  
"She wouldn't sleep with you?"  
"Nope, said it'd ruin our friendship." Eddie shook his head. "But that's not the problem. She's in trouble. Big trouble. Wait, just read this." Eddie moved the computer screen over so Cade could get a view of what was written there.  
  
Dear Eddie,  
I know I haven't written to you in a long time. Hell, we haven't seen each other in years. Anyway, I'm in trouble, serious trouble. And, something tells me you're the only one who can help. There's something fishy going on at the CDC here in Atlanta. I broke into their files, it's unbelievable! It talks about Aliens called "Gua" doing experiments to create some "Apocalypse bug." I need you to help me find somebody called the "Twice-blessed" Man. The program mentions him a hundred times. They're scared of him.   
Hack into the "Angel's unaware" mainframe. Find an address for a girl named Nissa, I'll meet you there. If I can. I know they're going to come and get me, so If I don't make it there within an hour, Leave! I don't want to take you down with me.  
Kelly  
  
"You're positive that's her, and not a Gua just trying to trap us." Cade asked, sounding almost like Eddie in his paranoid line of questioning.  
"It's gotta be her, this email address isn't even mine. It's a friend's. He's supposed to keep a look out for her, if she emails it she's in trouble. It's her, it even sounds like her. She was a friend, and I gotta help her."  
Cade looked into Eddie's eyes and saw the urgency in them. "Okay, looks like we're going to Atlanta."  
  
Kelly sat completely still as the electric current flashed through her body. Shock therapy wouldn't make her talk. Nothing would. She'd learned as a child how to separate her mind from her body so she wouldn't feel pain. Her father had been abusive, it was her only means of keeping her sanity.  
"Are you going to tell us now?"  
"Never."  
He sighed. "I'm growing impatient, Darling."  
"Too bad, looks like you aren't as high and mighty as you think you are."  
Ted glared at her angrily and left the cell. Kelly whispered a thankful prayer to her CIA friend "Jake" as she popped her wrists out and pulled them through the cuffs. She rubbed them after she popped them back into position. "Houdini, I don't how you did it, the wrists are painful enough!" She laughed.   
She took in every aspect of the cell she was in, and then smiled. She was still in the CDC building. They'd just put her in a quarantine cell. They weren't as smart as they thought they were. She heard the foot fall in the hall and slipped back into her seat positioning her hands so they appeared to still be in cuffs.   
Ted smiled as he entered the room. He brandished a weapon now, a Smith and Wesson police special. "Well, if the electric current won't make you talk, maybe blowing out your knees will."  
Kelly bit her lips nervously and then spoke. "Ted.....I'll...I'll talk. I'll tell you what I read in the computer and how to make the perfect virus, just don't do that." Ted smiled and laid the gun down on the table that housed all of the torture tools Kelly'd already become acquainted with.   
In a flash, before he could react she grabbed the gun.   
Ted laughed. "You won't shoot me. You love me, remember. You were going to marry me."  
Kelly's eyes narrowed as she pulled the gun up and took aim. "You know what Ted, love is blind, but not stupid."  
"Isn't murder a sin?"  
"Somehow I don't think you count. But, just in case, see you in hell." She pulled the trigger and watched the bullet enter Ted's left temple. The body began to shake, and then disintegrate before her very eyes. She didn't wait to see what else would happen, instead she ran out the CDC building. She was leaving the life she had loved so much behind her.  
  


To be continued................................  
  



	2. Pestilence Befalls All

  
Part two----Pestilence Befalls All  
Kelly ran until her lungs would not pull in another breath from the sheer exertion of her flight. She dodged into an alley and stopped to catch her breath. Now that she was free, what should she do? She glanced down, noticing that she still had the gun. She put it in her pocket, and thought carefully. Kelly tried to smile, but, now that she was free from her holding cell she could the feel the pain. She touched her face. She could feel her eye beginning to swell, and her lip was still bleeding. She peered into her reflection in a broken piece of glass on the alley floor.  
"You know something?" She asked, looking at the stray cat eating out of one of the dumpsters. "They may have given me the perfect plan." Her smile widened as the stratagem began to take shape.   
  
Eddie sighed as he took the exit ramp he needed. The drive was taking hours. They'd been in Michigan hiding out at a Great Lakes campground until they found a lead to follow up. His paranoid mind was already beginning to imagine the horrible things they were putting her through. Kelly had been like a sister. After he'd known her for a month or so he even stopped thinking about her in other ways.  
"You okay, Eddie?" Cade asked. He'd watched his friend get more and more concerned as the time went by.   
"Yeah, I'm just thinking about what they're doing to her."  
"Why would they want her anyway?"   
"Well," Eddie started. "She's probably one of the best, if not the best Biosafety Level 4 doctor in the world.."  
"Biosafety Level what?"  
"Biosafety Level Four. The CDC treats diseases. They break the diseases into Biosafety Levels. Level one is the flu and colds, Level two is HIV and TB, Level three is the Hanta virus and typhoid, and Level four are the worst diseases known to mankind. The plagues in there will dissolve your organs and make you bleed out of every hole in your body, man. You have to wear an actual space suit to even enter one of those labs!"  
"And she works there voluntarily?"  
"Yep, she knows more about Ebola and Marburg than anyone else alive. Quite an accomplishment for a girl who hasn't hit thirty yet."  
"So, the Gua are creating an "Apocalypse Bug" that will wipe out the human race in one fell swoop." Cade spoke his thought allowed and Eddie nodded.  
"I'm surprised they didn't think of it sooner. It's probably the smartest plan those alien scum have come up with yet."  
Cade and Eddie both fell silent as they began to think of the disease and what it must be like. Somehow, they'd have to find Kelly. Somehow, they'd have to stop the Apocalypse Bug.  
  
Kelly staggered into the police station. She collapsed onto the floor of the station as she got to the desk. The policeman handling the desk ran to her. "Are you okay 'mam?" He asked. She looked up and he saw her face. "My God! What happened to you?"  
Kelly paused as if she wasn't sure what to say, and then, in her carefully practiced Brooklyn accent she spoke. "I was mugged. I moved to Georgia to get away from muggers, and I got mugged!"  
The policeman faltered and then spoke. "Did you see the man?"  
"Yes, I saw him clearly. I saw him on America's Most Wanted. I don't remember his name.....I remember the story, though."  
"What was the story, maybe I can find him in our "Wanted" files?"  
"Well, he strangled his wife to death in some flea-bag hotel in Chicago. Then, at his trial he claimed aliens did it and framed him for her murder!" She laughed dryly. "They sent him to an asylum, where he belongs, and he escaped."  
The policeman paused for a minute and then pulled out a "wanted" poster. "Is this him?"  
He handed Kelly the poster. She studied it carefully, committing the information to memory. She memorized his face and his name. Then, she looked up and nodded. At the same time pulling out the gun. "Sorry, officer, but I think I can handle this myself." Her Brooklyn accent was now replaced by her own unique accent.  
His eyes widened, "'Mam, just put down the gun, we'll get your mugger, there's no need to shoot him."  
She laughed. "Listen, CHIPs, I was not mugged, and I'm not even from Brooklyn. My name's Kelly Loren. You might want to remember that, you'll be hearing it on the news for the next couple of weeks. You'll probably be yelled at by your commanding officer because you didn't arrest me. Too bad." Before the young policeman could make a move she was out the door. As she dodged into an alley and began taking the long route to Nissa's house she smiled. The Gua may be smart, but something told her this "twice-blessed man" was smarter.  
  
Eddie smiled as he pulled up the "Angel's Unaware" database. He read quickly through the material and began doing what he does best.   
"Why'd she want you to go in there?" Cade asked, still a little wary about the entire idea of going to that house to get her. There had been Gua traps before, he didn't want to run into another one.  
"According to this, the "Angels Unaware" program is a program to introduce Down's Syndrome adults into society. It looks like the Big Brother, Big Sister program. The volunteers drop by their houses and help them find a job. It look's like a really nice venture. Nissa must be the one Kelly is helping." He paused as he hacked into their files and the address came up. He jotted it on a piece of paper and smiled, "Now, we find Nissa's house and hope Kelly's there."  
  
Kelly stopped at the door to Nissa's house. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Her eyes scanned the front of the house and noticed the broken window. She placed her hand on the doorknob and pulled. It was unlocked. Something was definitely wrong.  
She entered the house cautiously, when she saw the figure on the floor she stopped dead in her tracks. Her blood ran cold as she realized it was Nissa. The figure was barely recognizable. She knew they'd been there. The Gua had no decency. Nissa had never hurt anyone in her short life. Her body twitched and Kelly ran to it.  
"Nissa, honey, are all right?" Kelly asked quietly.  
Nissa struggled to speak and finally choked out an almost inaudible message. "I didn't tell them, Kelly. I didn't tell the bad men what they wanted me too."  
Kelly forced a courageous face. "You were very brave, Nissa. I'm proud of you."  
"They were aliens. But not good aliens like ET. I didn't tell them. And I didn't give them what they wanted."  
"Nissa, you were a wonderfully brave girl." She paused, "What do you mean you didn't give them what they want?"  
"They wanted my necklace. I wouldn't tell them where it was though."  
"Necklace?"  
"Yeah, a man gave it to me when we were at the zoo. He told me it was special, that people will want it, but not to give it to them. It's in my treasure box."  
Kelly stared at Nissa for a moment. Now nothing made sense.  
Nissa frowned, "I'm going to die, right?"  
Kelly held Nissa's hand and nodded. "Yes, you are. But, you shouldn't be afraid honey. Remember, you're going to go to Heaven and be with the angels. And your mommy and daddy will be there waiting for you. And, in a little while I'll be there too."  
Nissa tried to smile but winced from the pain. "You won't hurt them will you?"  
"The aliens?"  
"You can't hurt them, Kelly. Remember, revenge is bad. You told me that. You said, revenge isn't a good reason to fight someone. You don't do things with a bad reason. Or you'll loose."  
Kelly smiled and nodded. "I won't honey. I won't do it for revenge. I promise."  
Nissa leaned back and relaxed. "Don't let them get my necklace." She smiled. "I'll see you in heaven." She closed her eyes and in a moment she was gone. Kelly sat alone in the darkness of the room for a few minutes. Nissa's word's kept ringing through her mind. No, she wouldn't seek revenge. She would do it for Nissa, but not to avenge her death.  
She walked through the rooms until she found Nissa's "treasure box." She opened it up and saw the necklace lying on top. Why would they want a necklace? What was it? And why had the man given it to Nissa? There were too many questions and not enough answers. Of course, she was a scientist, and used to the questions. She knew she had to solve the problems at hand, she only wished Nissa would be there to share in the solutions.  
  
Kelly had been sitting alone for what seemed like hours when she heard the car engine pull up to the house and stop. She tensed, her mind racing. It was them. She knew it was them, back for, for what? For her. She closed her hand on the gun still in her pocket. She was ready for them.   
There were voices outside, and then a strange sound in the lock on the door. Apparently, they didn't know the door was unlocked. As the door swung open and the light came on she pulled the gun up to her eye. As she saw the figures on the other side of the door, she shot.  
  
Eddie backed up, someone had just shot at him. Then, he noticed something behind him. A figure dissolving. He stared at it for a moment and then looked up. "Kelly?"  
"Hey, Eddie. Sorry if I scared you. The vermin problems in these houses are unbelievable."  
"Kelly, what happened to you?"  
She smiled, "Do you want to know how I was injured, or the entire story?"  
"I want you to tell me what happened." Eddie answered while looking down at Nissa's body on the floor.  
Kelly collapsed onto one of the chairs. "Well, I found out my fiancee was in charge of the entire "alien" experiment. He kidnapped me, tortured me, and I shot him. I killed him and watched him dissolve." She smiled bitterly. "I think they came here to find me, and ended up killing Nissa in the process. But, what happened to me isn't important. We need to find this "twice-blessed man" character. His name's Kincaid Lawrence Foster."  
"How do you know that?"  
"Well, you haven't changed. I got a cop to tell me, of course, it took some convincing acting on my part. I'm just glad to know I never lost the touch. Now, are you going to help me find him, or not?"  
"We're not really going to have to look that hard, Kel."  
"Why?"  
"Well, because he's out in the trailer."  
"Kincaid..."  
"Cade." The voice came from the doorway. Kelly turned to look at the figure standing there. There was no doubt, he was the man she was looking for.  
She smiled, "Well, thank God for small favors." She stopped, her eyes widened. "Shit! I didn't know you were with Eddie, so I kinda let the police know you were in the city. Something tells me we better leave. Now."  
"Where are we going to go?" Eddie looked at her curiously.  
"One of my high school buddies has a cabin in the mountains, we'll go there. The Gua are going to release that "apocalypse bug" and we don't want to be around when they do."  
Cade watched her as she rifled through the draws. Kelly looked at Cade and smiled. "Eddie, you take your trailer, meet me at the Municipal airport in Luray, Virginia. Cade, you're going to have to come with me. I have a pilot's license, so all I have to do is pinch a plane. We'll take that to Luray."  
Cade nodded without a word. He knew this was not the time to ask questions.   
As Kelly left the house, she touched the amulet, now safe in her pocket. It was now seven in the morning. It hadn't even been a day yet, and already her life had changed.  
  
Kelly relaxed as soon as the plane took off. Things were looking up. Cade shifted uneasily in the seat. She turned to look at him and smiled. "I take it you haven't flown in many small aircraft, huh?"  
"Well, it's not that that's bothering me. Who's plane is this?"   
Kelly laughed. "We're not going to get caught. It's Ted's, the alien fiancee from hell.  
I decided he owes me this much. And you're a fine one to talk, what was it? Oh yeah, "the best break and entry man in Cook County." Besides, this is the fastest way to leave town. And we had to leave fast."  
"Because the police knew I was there."  
"That, and I can already tell you what the Gua are going to do when they find out I got away. They'll tell the media I was a disgruntled employ. Say I stole a vial of a biochemical agent created by one of the Arab nations. I was working on the antivenin and took it. Then, they'll release it somewhere and blame it on me. You're a wanted murder. Soon, I'll be a wanted terrorist."  
Cade paused as he watched her. Through the entire speech she hadn't changed from her almost cheery mood. "You sure don't seem upset."  
"You get used to things like this. I've never been kidnapped by aliens before, but I've had my fair share of hard times."  
"Hard times?"  
She laughed. "My father beat me regularly, until I graduated from high school at 15. Went straight to college and outfoxed everyone there. Studying was the only way to get away from my troubles. So, I studied constantly. Because of that, I never had a friend. Except Eddie. And, I think the only reason he befriended me is to get lucky."  
Cade laughed despite himself. Apparently Eddie hadn't changed over the years.  
Then, his face lost it's smile. "You think they'll release that thing?"  
"Of course. They have to see if it works. So, we've got to find a way to stop it." There was a noise from the back of the plane. She froze, pressed a few buttons on the console, and leaned back to look at the storage area of the plane. "Shit! I should have known they'd do that!" Her voice was angry and a little annoyed.  
"Do what?"  
"Put a bomb in the plane. Boy, this day just keeps getting better!"  
  
"Listen, Cade, you ever fly a plane before?"  
"No."   
"Then I elect you to get rid of the bomb."  
Cade turned around to get a good look at the explosives. From just a glance he could tell it was C-4. The only problem was that he had no idea how to diffuse a bomb. Kelly smiled as if she was reading his mind. "You better get rid of it soon, the timer says ten minutes."  
"Listen, when I tell you to, can you make this plane climb?"  
"Sure."  
Cade grabbed the bomb with one hand opening the door with the other. He tossed the bomb as far out the door as he could and than shouted at Kelly to climb. She jerked the plane upward into an almost vertical ascent. The concussion from the bomb made the plane buck slightly. She straightened the plane out and looked down. "Cade, did you just blow up that seven eleven?"  
  
The man squinted in the near darkness of the room. It had only been twenty minutes. He groaned and tried to relax. The headache had only gotten worse. He'd heard of migraines before, but he didn't think men got them. When he'd gotten home from work his eyes were bloodshot. His wife claimed he looked as if every blood vessel in his eyes were ready to pop. He could barely move his head now. It had to be the headache.   
He tried to relax in the bed, but the more time that went by, the worse he felt. He finally turned on his bedside lamp. The light hurt his eyes only for a moment. His worry only grew as he saw the state of his skin. There were large boils forming on it. Bruises were showing up in places he knew he hadn't injured. Now he knew he was sick. That was just what he needed! He'd already missed his share of sick and vacation days at work. Now they were going to dock his pay everyday he was sick.   
Time continued to pass slowly for the man, while his condition only worsened. His throat and tongue began to burn with a fierce intensity. Then, the nausea hit. He struggled to make it to the bathroom but didn't. The gorge rose in his throat. He starred at what should have been the ham and cheese sandwich he had for lunch, instead he saw things he couldn't identify. It was several minutes before he realized that they were pieces of his stomach and esophagus.   
Inside his body war was breaking out. The tiny killers were liquefying his organs. Holes began to form in his heart, blood started to leak out filling his chest cavity. The tiny air sacs in his lungs began to pop like overfilled balloons. His liver hardened into a rock, his kidneys turned green and died, while his skin began to crack like dry paint. The pain was almost more than he could bare. He felt a tear trickle down his face, but when it landed on his hand it was a droplet of blood. He staggered to his feet, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. There were tiny trickles of blood pouring out of his eyes, nose, ears, gums, and fingernails. He was sweating and with the normal salt and urea came sprinkles of blood.   
His legs gave out on him as the final throws of this horrible death took him in their icy grip. The gorge rose in his throat again, but now it was black, filled with the tiny serial killers. His body began to shake with a grand mal seizure. Finally, after hours of the most unbelievable suffering, he was at peace. The invasion had begun.  
  


To Be Continued.......  


  
  
  
  



	3. With But One Shrouded Cathilcon

Part Three--With But One Shrouded Catholicon  
Kelly fliped the switch on the radio and sat back. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as her thoughts enveloped her. They'd done it. They'd actually released it. It shouldn't suprise her, but even now after she'd heard the news story, she couldn't believe it. She had to see the victims, had to autopsy the bodies, learn whatever she could about this lurid disease. She heard footsteps on the porch behind her, but didn't stir. The images of the diseases she'd seen before pounding her consciousness. The outbreaks of Ebola in Zaire and Sudan, the children bleeding and experiencing pain no child should ever have to bear. They had been almost too much for her to stomach. Now, a disease a hundred times worse would reek havock on all mankind. She shuddered at the thought and tried to hide her tears and pain from whomever had walked up behind her.  
"Eddie found the quatrain that fits this. He says it's   
Life must end before it can begin  
Pestilence befalls all  
With but one shrouded Catholicon  
In the anals of a clan sojourned long ago." Cade stopped and looked at her for a moment. "You okay, Kelly?" He asked. He knew there was something wrong by the rigid way she was sitting.  
She swallowed hard, finally speaking, her voice cracking with the words. "They did it Cade. Deep down in my heart, I didn't think they would. They released it in Alaska, it's a test. It works there, and then they'll release it in California, New York, Texas, everywhere."  
"Then we've got to stop them."  
"Easier said than done. You haven't seen what these diseases do. You haven't seen the effects they have on people."  
"No, but I've seen what these aliens can do. I've been the subject of one of their 'experiments.' All we are to them is guniea pigs, test rats..."  
"The Rats of NIMH."  
"What?"  
"It's a novel. It's about doctors at a National Institute for Mental Health. The rats were given telepathy and the ability to read by experiments the scientists performed. They used the intelligence to escape and build a world of their own. They were underestimated."  
"Then you'll help?"  
"I've never given up on anything before in my life, I'm not going to start now. But, it's not going to be easy. I have to see the bodies."  
"They're in Alaska, aren't they?"  
"They sure are. So, I guess we'll have to go to Alaska, too. Anchorage to be specific."  
"How are you going to get close enough to those bodies?"   
Kelly grinned for a moment. "We'll go as USAMRIID. United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases. They hate the CDC, and it's mutual. So, we won't run into anyone I know. But, just in case. You'll go as the doctor. I can be your nurse." She saw the flash of doubt and laughed. "I can cover for you if they ask any questions. And, you'll tell them the autopsy is a 'Q' clearance, no unauthorized personnel allowed in the room. Then, I'll play Scully and autopsy the body." Kelly watched Cade for any reaction, she hoped her face didn't show the turmoil going on beneath the surface.  
  
"Oh my gosh!!" Kelly giggled as she slammed the door into the scrub room. "I think that doctor was getting a little fresh!!!" She reached up, pulling off the blonde wig. "I guess blondes do have more fun."  
"Now, that we're in, what are you going to do?" Cade looked around the OR scrub room that had been converted into a "biosafety level 4 prep room." There was a large radiation bath set over one wall, and three space suits on the other. Kelly walked to a cabinet and began pulling things down.   
"Okay, you're going to go with me, so I hope you don't have a weak stomach. First, and foremost, we have to talk about the suits. You can't have anything touching your skin, no underwear, jewelry, nothing. Your first layer is scrubs, then another pair of scrubs, a biosafety level 3 suit and finally the space suit. You need a minimum of three to four pairs of latex gloves on underneath the suit. Under no circumstances do you take off the suit without my telling you it's okay. If you breathe the air in there, you die. If you rip your suit, you die. If you puncture your glove, you die. If you do anything without my okay, you die. You got that?" Cade didn't say a word, only picked up the suits and walked into one of the adjoining locker rooms. Kelly dressed quickly, she was used to the drill. But, she never allowed herself to go blindly through it. Even one mistake, no matter how small, could cause her death. She waited at the door to the morgue until she saw Cade emerge. Perhaps if the occasion had not been so somber she would have laughed. He looked like a fish out of water. Only a few years ago, that would have been her. Now, this bulky suit was like a second skin.   
Kelly took one deep breath before entering the room. It looked like any other morgue she'd ever seen, but immediately she sensed the difference. The man lay on the examining table. Even through the layers of protective clothing she could almost smell the stench of wrotting flesh. She picked up a metal clipboard on one of the counters and handed it to Cade. "Read this, we need to learn as much about him as we can." Her voice came through the intercom connecting the two suits. The connection was a little staticy but Cade understood what she ment. He took the chart from her hand and began to read.  
"Looks like the guy was an archeaologist. Specialized in the Mayans."  
Kelly turned around, even through the suit, Cade could see her confused visage. "Mayans? Are you sure?"  
"That's what the background says, somebody could have filled it in wrong."  
"No, it just doesn't make any sense. The Mayans were in South and Central America, why would he be here?" She didn't wait for Cade to give her an explanation, instead she turned to the body.   
Her hands didn't shake as she placed the edge of the scalpel onto the man's chest. With the demeanor of a professional she made the "y" incision. She didn't have to the break the ribs to get into the man's chest. His ribs looked almost spongy. It took little physical strength on her part to bend the ribs back with her hand.   
She flinched as she saw the state of his organs, each one mangled and chewed to the point where they could hardly be recognized. His heart was probably half the normal size and rittled with holes, like swiss cheese. His liver was rock hard and a slightly gray color. Some of his other organs had turned green, or completely liquified.   
After several minutes with the cranial saw, she was able to the state of the brain. The fragile gray and white matter had blurred,forming an almost jelly-like material. She kept working dilligently, taking samples and recording information. As she worked, she said a silent prayer.  
  
Kelly sat down in the doctor's lounge her mind trying to understand all that she had seen in the morgue. Cade took the seat beside her, watching her carefully. "It isn't good is it?" He asked.  
Kelly glanced down at her hands, and realized they were shaking. "I don't know. I don't even know where to start. The only thing I'm sure of, is that there is way more to this than meets the eye."  
"Well, Eddie gave me his address. We could go question his wife. She's got to know why a man who studies Mayans is in Alaska."   
Kelly looked up at Cade, her mind still reeling. "Okay, but we're going to take the biosafety suits with us. You never know when you're going to need one."  
  
Jessica Graham couldn't have been much over forty. She sat rigidly, staring bleakly at the two people seated in front of her. Her eyes were swollen and blood-red. Anyone coud tell that she was taking her husband's death badly.  
Kelly tried to force a warm smile. "Hello, Mrs. Graham. We're from USAMRIID. We want to ask you a few questions about your husband's tragic death."  
Jessica looked at them suspiciously. "USAMRIID?"  
"The United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases." Cade answered.  
Kelly tried to mask her surprise as she gave Cade a questioning look.  
"I wouldn't talk to the man who came to question me before, and I won't talk to you."  
"Who came before?" Cade asked, sounding a little paranoid.  
"Some black man. He said he was going to ask me some questions. I wouldn't talk to him. He was no doctor, even I could tell that." She gave Cade a hateful look. "And neither are you."  
Cade's suspicions were confirmed. Kelly saw him tense when Jessica mentioned the man who had come before. She took a deep breath, and decided to take a chance. "Listen, Mrs. Graham. Maybe he's not a doctor. But, I am. I specialize in things like this. I need to know how you're husband got sick. Please. There is something terribly wrong here. That disease, it isn't natural. Someone created it, and I need to find out how he came in contact with it." Kelly pleaded.  
Jessica watched her for a moment. "You are a doctor, I can tell. You knew about that disease. You knew it wasn't natural. But, my husband told me not to speak with anyone unless they had his gift with them."  
Kelly stared at the woman for a moment, and then reached into her pocket, pulling out the amulet Nissa had given her. "This, this is what he told you to look for isn't it?"  
Jessica nodded. "Yes, so you're Dr. Kelly Loren." Kelly stared at her for a moment, looking slightly uneasy. Jessica smiled. "My husband knew he could trust you. When he found out what the heiroglyphics said, he knew he had to find a doctor to trust. You were the only one. You are the foremost authority on these diseases. He gave the amulet.."  
"He gave the amulet to Nissa!" She interrupted angrily. "He gave it to her, and she ended up dying for it! What kind of man kills someone that innocent. He killed her. By giving her that amulet he killed her."  
Jessica paled and tried to remember what her husband had told her. "Dr. Loren, I am sorry. I know how much she meant to you. I assure you, my husband didn't want her to get hurt. But, you are a woman of science, like he was. He knew if he approached you, you would think he was crazy. He gave the amulet to Nissa. He told her to keep it safe. She wasn't supposed to give it to anyone but you."  
"And she didn't. She ended up dying for it. I hope it was important enough to die for!" Kelly replied, her voice still ringing with slight hatred.  
Jessica sighed. "The only thing I can do is give you his research, and let you decide for yourself." She stood up slowly and walked out of the room.  
Kelly sat back down, still clutching the amulet in her hand. She slowly turned it over, staring at it. It was probably three inches in diameter, made of solid copper, and with some kind of strange animal carved on the front of it. Finally, she turned to Cade. "Who was here? You know him, who was he?"  
"His name's Joshua. He's an acolyte, a Gua assasin."  
"Why would they send an assasin to interorgate Mrs. Graham?"  
"Because of this." The voice came from the hall way, making both Cade and Kelly jump. Jessica handed Kelly a packet of papers. "Here. Everything you want to know is in there."  
Kelly opened the packet and stared at the papers. Cade peered over her shoulder and frowned. "What's it written in? Is it some kind of code?"  
"No, it's Latin. I guess he hoped the Gua wouldn't be as well versed in it as I am." She smiled. "It helps to know Latin like the back of your hand if you are going into medicine. Let me see if I can translate it." She began with the first page, translating the papers aloud for Cade and Jessica.  
"If you are reading this, then, I fear the worst has happened. I am dead. I knew when I found the relic here in Alaska that my death was near. I guess I couldn't escape it. No doubt, Dr. Loren, you are wondering why an archeologist who specializes in the Mayans is in Alaska. I will try to explain.   
Perhaps you know about the strange similarites between the ancient cultures of the world. The similarities in Mayan, Druid, and Egyptian hieroglyphics, or the strange coincedences involving myths of these cultures. It has been my life's work. I have been trying to find the reason for these similarites all my life. I am afraid now, that I have found it.   
A group of archeaolgists here in Alaska discovered a 'Rosetta Stone' of sorts. They called me up to look at it. With the help of this 'stone' I have decoded the writing on one of the pyramids in Guatemala. What it says will make your blood run cold.  
The pyramid tells of a 'travelers from the stars' who came to our world thousands of years ago. They promised to teach the people of the world their own technology. They did, too. But, they did it for themselves. They learned how backward the people of our planet were. These 'aliens' believed they could dominate these people and claim our world for their own.  
They created three diseases. The first disease they released in Africa. They wanted to see how the virus would react with humans. It killed them, but it could take twenty years for the virus to finally attack the host. They considered this disease a failure and buried the victims deep in the jungle. It is my belief that this virus resurfaced as AIDS.  
Their second virus was supposed to be improved. They released this virus into the the African Velt, too. But, this virus didn't kill everyone it infected. So, they destroyed the victims and buried them in the jungle. I believe we know this virus as Ebola.  
Finally, the most frightening virus of all. It killed all it infected in less than one day. The 'aliens' had found their perfect pathogen. They released this virus on the Mayans. Many of the Mayans died, leaving only a few uninfected. The Mayan priestesswent deep into the jungle and fasted, praying for a vision to save her people. She recieved a vision about the virus. It showed an animal, a feathered reptile. The vision told her to collect the blood from this animal and use it as a medicine. Only this would save her people. It also told her to dry some of the blood, fill a jade urn with the blood, and lock it safely in a tomb. According to the dream, this virus would resurface, and human race's only chance would be this miraculous cure.   
The priestess did as she was told and saved her people from the disease. I found the urn only weeks ago. It has only one key, an amulet. I sent this key to you, Dr. Loren, in the hopes that you will act as our priestess and save us from this plague. I think I exposed myself to the virus when I opened the tomb. I don't know how long it takes for someone to get sick with it. Please, do what you can. The urn is in the museum here in town, in an air tight container. Take it, use the blood, you must stop these new 'travelers from the stars' from using the virus created by their enemy. Please, I beg of you. For me, for Nissa, for mankind."   
  
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, allowing the words to sink in. Finally, Kelly broke the silence. "It fits the quatrain perfectly. A disease kills everyone, with only one hidden cure in the records of a lost tribe visited long ago."  
"Are you sure he said NEW travelers from the stars?" Cade asked.  
Kelly nodded. "Yes, that's what he said. Do the Gua have any enemies? Another alien race perhaps?"  
Cade thought for a moment and nodded. "I think Joshua said something about an alien race that tried to conquer their home world. They defeated them, and took the name Gua. It means 'the strength to overcome.'"  
"Then, they came here first. This 'apocalypse bug' is the other alien race's." She turned to Jessica. "Can we get into his office to get this urn?"  
"Not until tomorrow morning. They lock that place up like Ft. Knox."  
Kelly nodded. "That's okay. I want to do some research back at the hospital anyway. I want to check Dr. Graham's notes with some of my own data."  
Cade looked at her and spoke softly, "I can get that urn for you if you need it."  
"No, better not. The last thing we need right now is for something to be stolen from a local museum." She smiled. "Go back to the hotel, get some rest."  
  
Kelly sighed. She'd been pouring over the volumes of text books the hospital had, comparing this data with Dr. Graham's translations. She pressed her fingers against her temple, massaging gently. She had a headache. But, it was only to be expected....She stopped looking up at the mirror across the room. "No," she laughed nervously. "You're just being a hypochondriac, that's all." Slowly she rose to her feet. She took slow steps across the room, not sure if she wanted to see her own reflection. She stood perfectly still, staring at the image before her. Her eyes were bloodshot and the veins were slowly getting bigger, ready to burst.   
"My God!" She whispered. "But how? How?" She circled the room trying to think of her mistake. Then she saw it. The ventilation shaft. She pushed a chair up to it and removed the grating. She could actually smell Dr. Graham's wrotting body in the morgue only two rooms away. "They didn't seal the shafts. It's airborne, and they didn't seal the shafts."   
To make sure her suspicions were correct she removed a few ccs of her own blood. She placed them on the slide, and, hesitating, she peered into the microscope. There they were. The sheppard's hook. The cells of the 'apocolypse bug' rapidly multiplying. Only now, they appeared to be a Grim Reaper's Scythe. It was the harbinger of her own death.  
  
  
  
  



	4. In the Anals of a Clan Sojourned Long Ag...

Part Four--In The Anals Of A Clan Sojourned Long Ago**  
**Kelly's hands shook as she tried to dial the cell phone number. She began speaking before Cade had a chance to say hello. "Cade, this is Kelly. Something happened, this hospital wasn't careful. You need to get into that museum, now! I need that urn. You have.." She paused for a moment, trying to calculate how much time she had. "You have two hours. After that, I'll be too sick to do anything. Two hours until my death is sealed, along with everyone else's."  
  
Cade paused just outside the museum. He could still hear the tremor in Kelly's voice. She had been trying to conceal her fear, but he knew she was terrified. The pressure was on. He had to get that urn to her in enough time for her to make whatever antidote she needed to make.   
He stared at the door for a moment. Even after everything that had happened he had to be amused. 'Goodwin Locks' Apparently, this was going to be easier than he expected.   
  
Kelly stood still, her mind racing, the images of all the people she had seen die of these diseases flashing in her mind's eye. It was ironic. Almost like Frankenstein being killed by his own monster. Fate apparently had a morbid sense of humor.   
She knew everything she would go through. Every minute detail. She knew how horrible the pain would be, how she would have to endure it. For a moment, she entertained the notion of simply injecting an air bubble into her blood. But, she dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. She knew this was no time to be selfish. She had to think of the others, Dr. Graham and Nissa. Those two had sacrificed themselves for others. She had to fight. She turned back to the papers Jessica had given her. Somewhere it had to tell exactly how they'd used the creature's blood.  
  
Cade entered the museum carefully. He was still a little suspicious. The security system the museum had installed was minimal. A child would know which wires to cut. It was just hard for him to believe. It shouldn't have been that easy.   
"Eddie, I need to know where this Dr. Graham's office was." He spoke softly into his microphone.  
"You got it, Foster." Eddie pulled up the map of the building. "It's on the lower level. Look's like they stuck him in the storage area."  
Cade moved off in the direction of the stairs. He neither heard nor sensed the presence behind him.  
  
Kelly froze, she knew there was someone in the room with her. She turned around slowly, until she was facing the man who had just entered. "You shouldn't be in here. It's..." She stopped as she studied the figure more closely. She couldn't help but smile a little. "Martin, I didn't expect to see you here."  
"And I didn't expect to see you, Kelly. They're saying you did this, you released this disease."  
"Do you believe them?" Kelly searched her friend's eyes. Perhaps it was a twist of fate. But, as she studied him, she began to notice things she had not noticed before.  
"I don't know what to believe anymore, Kelly. Ted disappeared. They're saying you killed him."  
"I did, Martin." He stared at her, not sure how to react to that. She continued "He was an alien." Martin continued to stare at her as if she was insane. She backed up slowly, hoping she didn't look guilty. She finally felt the cabinet behind her. Turning around she opened the cabinet and pulled out one of the bottles. "You shouldn't be here, Martin. They didn't close off the ventilation shafts, every human being in this building is infected." She inserted a hypodermic needle into the solution, filling it up completely.   
"What are you doing, Kelly?" Martin questioned. He moved closer, trying to read the bottle.   
"I'm just getting some morphine to dull the pain. I'm infected you know." She turned to look at him. "Will you help me inject it? I have a hard time giving myself shots." Martin nodded. He walked over to her and reached out to take the needle from her. She moved quickly, bringing her arm up and into his neck. She injected whatever was in the needle into the base of his spinal cord. "You know, Martin. You should be careful. I read those files at the CDC. I know your bodies react badly with salt." She glanced at the bottle she'd placed on the counter. "Saline solution is just as good, don't you think?"   
  
Cade opened the door to Dr. Graham's office carefully, cringing as the door squeaked. He saw the urn immediately. It was probably a foot tall, and maybe a foot in diameter. It appeared to be made of solid Jade. The same creature carved on Kelly's amulet was carved all over the urn. It was incased in fiberglass. As Cade was about to move over to pick it up he heard someone breathing.  
  
The fear enveloped her like a glove. It pressed against her hot, damp skin. It filled her lungs, and made breathing almost impossible. The pain was intense, a never-ending stream of agony growing steadily more excruciating as time dragged on. At last, she understood the feeling of pain experienced by her many patients over the years. She only wished now she could make it stop.  
  
Eddie sat nervously in the trailer. He had an uneasy feeling about the entire plan. Cade had called him paranoid. It had been meant as an insult, but it hadn't worked.   
He was the first to admit to paranoia. But, he wouldn't admit it wasn't well founded. In a world where honesty is as scarce as kindness, it is easy to understand why distrust is as much a part of life as breathing. It was better to be cautious about who you trusted and what you believed then to have blind-faith in everyone.  
Eddie listened astutely to Cade. It was more excruciating to be on the other end of a headset than it would have been to accompany him. He froze as he heard Cade's voice. "What the......" Cade's voice was cut off and there was only silence to greet Eddie's ear.  
"Foster? Foster, you there? This isn't funny......Cade?" He sat perfectly still as the realism began to sink in. Cade wasn't there. Something horrible had happened. "Great. Just great. Of all the times... Now what am I going to do?" He glanced at the clock and groaned. "I have one hour and ten minutes to get the urn to Kelly and keep Cade from being dissected!"  
  
Eddie took a cautious step out of the trailer. He could feel eyes watching his every move. He had no idea about what was going on. Not even his paranoid mind could understand this mystery. He was no hero. No matter how much he liked to fool himself, he knew he was no Cade Foster. He was just Crazy Eddie, the "masked brain." Now, he was being forced into a situation he neither enjoyed nor understood.  
As he approached the museum he said a silent prayer, hoping that whatever Cade had done to the security system was still keeping it from sending a signal to the cops. Surprisingly, the door was standing open. He pushed on it and entered.  
The darkness swallowed him as he took a few tentative steps farther into the museum. Like a child, he saw monsters in every irregular shadow, heard voices in every foot fall, and felt the presence of unseen danger grow as he continued deeper and deeper.  
He didn't allow himself to look anywhere but at the floor. Something had happened to Cade, that much he knew. It was what he didn't know that frightened him.   
  
In a shroud of darkness, the figure watched Eddie move. He knew he should attack him, but something held him back. His intuition told him this was not the time. He would wait for the proper time, then they would all die.  
  
Eddie stood at the bottom of the steps. His heart was beating so fast it felt as if it was vibrating. It looked like some strange scene from a cheap horror movie trying to imitate "Psycho." There were tokens of taxidermy scattered all over the basement. He tried to peer through the darkness and see what could be lurking in the shadows. He could only see a few feet ahead of himself. And, he was blind to what could be lurking behind the boxes and long forgotten exhibits.  
He spotted the door to the office. It seemed to be miles from the steps. Eddie took a deep breath and began to walk to the door. Each step took an unbelievable amount of will power. Finally, he made it to the door. He tentatively placed his hand on the door knob. He twisted, and the door came open.   
The smell hit Eddie first. It was very faint and barely noticeable. He frowned, they'd drugged Cade. Eddie scanned the room, looking for the urn. He half didn't expect to see it. But, there it was, placed carefully on the center of the desk. He carefully picked up the glass box. He expected it to be a trick, it had to be a trap. Why would they take Cade and not the urn. It made no sense.   
THUMP!! Eddie jumped involuntarily. The sound came again. It was a lound thump, as if someone had kicked something. It took all of Eddie's will power not to bolt to the door and run. He forced himself to look around the office. The sound was close. One of the corners was bathed in shadows. Somehow, Eddie knew that's where the sound was coming from. As if in answer to his thoughts the sound came again. He didn't know whether to attempt to investigate, as he knew Cade would, or leave it alone. He was given no chance to think any further. Eddie heard wood splinter and saw a figure fall to the ground. "Foster? What in the hell happened man?" Eddie rushed to his side. He quickly pulled out the gag and untied the rope that bond Cade's arms and legs.  
  
Kelly stared at the receiver for a moment and said a silent prayer.   
"Hello?"  
"Stephanie. Thank God you're there!" Kelly said, her voice weak and painted with the pain that now filled every cell of her body.   
"Kelly? What are you doing? They're telling me you're responsible for all this."  
"In a way, I am. But, not in the way they mean." She paused. "Stephanie, are you in Alaska?"  
"Yeah, they sent me when they realized you weren't going to help them."  
"I knew they would! I'm glad, I need you."  
"What?"  
"I'm at the hospital. They didn't quarantine the corpse, and now I've gotten whatever this is."  
"Oh no!"  
"It's not as bad as it sounds. There's a cure. I need you to help me. Will you come?"  
"Yes, of course I will! I'll be there soon, just hang on, all right?"  
"You know I will." As Kelly replaced the receiver she sighed. "Easier said then done!"  
  
Kelly began to laugh bitterly. Now, as the fever worsened and the disease progressed, memories inundated her mind. She began to think of things she had not considered since she was out of school. It was then, that the choice was made. She knew what she had to do. In some strange way, she was responsible for this incident. And, in some way, she knew there had to be more. Now, if she survived...  
  
Eddie and Cade had no time to wonder about what had happened or why. They both new the value of each moment they wasted in the basement of that museum. As quickly as either could move they were out the door and on their way to the hospital. Eddie noticed a light blinking out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to look at Cade. "Foster, answer the cell phone will ya?"  
Cade nodded. "Sure....Hello."  
"Cade, thank God." The voice on the other end of the phone was weak, barely audible, and filled with an unbelievable amount of pain. It took Cade a moment to recognize the speaker. He tried to hide his worry as he replied.  
"Are you okay Kelly?"  
"I'm doing as well as can be expected. Did you get the urn?"  
"Yeah, we've got it right here. It'll only be a few more minutes."  
"Cade, you have to wear one of the biohazard suits when you come in to the hospital. If you don't, you could get sick. Do you remember how to put one on?"  
"Yeah, sure. Are you positive I need to wear it?"  
A bitter laugh met his ear. "I know you hate it. But, believe me, it's better than the alternative. I know."  
  
  
Cade could hear himself breathing in the tight space in the suit. He hated it. He wasn't claustrophobic, but this was enough to make anyone more than a little uncomfortable. He watched Kelly closely. By the way she was acting, he wasn't sure if she would make it. She looked as if death already had a grip on her, but she was fighting with all her soul.  
Kelly moved swiftly but diligently. She didn't know what she was doing, she was trusting an archaeologist she'd never met. She just hoped he was write. She dissolved the powdered blood in a small amount of saline solution and quickly injected it into her neck, very close to the carotid artery. She needed it to act as quickly as possible. She turned to Cade. "I'm going to lay down now. There's no telling how long this could take, or even if it will work. You might not want to stay."  
"I"ll stay."   
Kelly was about to protest, but saw no point in it. Instead, she retreated to one of the hospital beds she'd had transported into the room. Only moments after laying down, she lost consciousness.  
  
Kelly had always wondered if comatose people could sense their surroundings. She knew she couldn't. She had to spend each moment funneling her energy to fight the enemy invading her cells. It was a horrible feeling. Her body was not her own. Instead, it seemed to be changing. The most terrifying thing seemed to be, that she knew it was. Viruses like AIDS and Ebola do try to change the human body into one gigantic virus particle. She just had to stop it. Silently, she said a prayer. Somehow, she had to find the strength to fight this thing. For some reason, it seemed only God could grant her that.  
  
In the darkness of the museum, the figure finally emerged from its hiding place. Everything had gone perfectly. It had done what the Assembly told it to. They would be pleased with it. Perhaps, they would be more pleased by its own self-control. Surely, they would know how badly it wanted Kelly and her new friends dead. But, it knew there would be a time for that. The Assembly must be able to see some purpose in the woman or they wouldn't have allowed Cade and Eddie to extract the urn from their possession. It smiled in anticipation.  
  
Stephanie crouched over her old friend. "I don't think she's going to make it. There's no way. I mean..." She paused, turning to Cade and Eddie. "She has a temperature of 108. Most people wouldn't have made it this far. I think we just need to let her go. She's fighting now, but she can't keep it up."  
Eddie stopped fidgeting with the biohazard suit and stared at the woman. "You're wrong. You must not know Kelly very well. She isn't going to let something like this beat her. I'm not giving up on her until she gives up on herself. She's going to fight, and if she dies it won't be because she gave up."   
  
Kelly was tired. It took all of her will power to simply stay awake. She knew if she allowed herself to rest she would die. Perhaps that is what it felt like. Perhaps you just went to sleep. At this moment, Kelly was willing to find out. But, for once she knew she couldn't. She'd never been depended on like this before. No one had ever believed in her they way Cade and Eddie did. Somehow, she would beat this thing. Somehow.  
  
The virus was progressing quickly through her system. It would invade one cell, reproduce until the cell could hold no more, and then explode out to invade a new cell. Slowly, it was working its way through her organs. The antibodies in her system didn't know how to combat this new threat. They tried to swallow the beings. Disintegrate them, like they did other diseases. But, it wasn't working. Instead, the virus would reproduce inside the white blood cell. It seemed there was no way to win.   
It was only a few hours ago, when Kelly had injected herself with the blood. But, already something was happening. The blood began to act as the virus did. The antibodies would swallow the blood, and just as the virus, it reproduced. However, when the blood broke out, it attacked the virus. This new blood seemed to act like a catalyst. It sped up the virus. But, it made the virus turn on itself. Instead of destroying body cells, it destroyed virus particles.   
The new blood's success, however, depended on how many body cells had been ruined. If too many were gone, Kelly could not recuperate.  
  
  
It had been seven hours. Stephanie had tried to convince Cade and Eddie that no progress could be expected after only seven hours. But, they still had faith. Finally, giving up, Stephanie had gone to see if she could be of any help anywhere else in the building. All of the doctors and nurses had now come down with the virus just as Kelly had.  
Cade and Eddie were sitting in chairs near the bed. Neither one of them said anything. It seemed they were both afraid that noise would somehow kill Kelly.  
  
Kelly felt the change. It was almost instantaneous. One moment, it felt as if every cell in her body was turned against her. And then, it was gone. The pain, that had become so much a part of her since becoming infected, was now gone. She struggled against the urge to fall asleep and slowly opened her eyes.   
  
Cade and Eddie didn't seem to notice her. When she could finally focus on them she realized they both seemed to be in some kind of trance, or maybe it was prayer. With a great struggle, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. This caught their attention.  
"Kelly! You're okay. What are you doing?" Eddie shouted as he saw that she was indeed better.  
"We're getting out of here. I'll leave instructions for the blood. Stephanie can do it without me. But, we can't stay. Right now is the perfect time to go. The doctors and nurses are sick. They won't notice or care who we are. We have to leave. Cade can't get caught by the police, come to the think of it, neither can I. It's better to leave now, while the getting good, than wait."   
Cade nodded slowly, agreeing with her logic. "Are you sure you're going to be well enough to travel?"  
"Yes, I'm fine. But, I won't be able to ride in a car. I'm still a little sore. I'll fly where ever it is we're going. Eddie and you can go on ahead of me. I have a few things I have to do at the airfield, anyway."  
Eddie was going to protest, but he realized Kelly wasn't going to take any argument. The best thing was to leave.  
  
Kelly paused for a moment. She stared at the instruments on the panel. She could still turn back. Even now, her fate wasn't sealed. But, then again, perhaps it was. The things she had done in her past still mattered. She understood that. She also knew what Cade and Eddie would do if they ever discovered the truth. No. She had to do what she'd been planning. It seemed almost pointless. A waste. But, it was a necessity. With determination she closed her hand around the steering wheel and pushed it first up, so the plane went into a perfect vertical line straight into the clouds, and then down again.  
  
The crash was seen for miles. The fire lit the sky a brilliant red. The Coast Guard worked for hours. First, they tried to find the pilot. But, from the state of the aircraft, they assumed there would be nothing left to find. The largest piece of the aircraft they found was a piece the size of a car tire. The rest, had been shattered on impact.  
  
The body crawled on shore. It was haggard, and tired. It collapsed into a heap on the sand. After a few moments, it straightened. It unzipped a pocket and pulled out a ziplock bag. It looked to the sky and smiled. "Life must end before it can begin...Thanks Jake. I owe you one."  
  
Cade turned around and walked back to the trailer. Something was keeping Kelly. He was beginning to worry about her. Eddie came to the door. From the look on his face, Cade knew there was something horribly wrong. As he picked up speed, he began to scratch at a small red bump on his elbow.  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
